Seven French presidential hopefuls face off in first campaign debate
Seven candidates for France's 2027 presidential election held their first joint debate in Paris, with no clear winner emerging. The event exposed sharp divisions over Europe, debt and economic policy.
Seven contenders for next year's French presidential election shared a stage for the first time on August 27 at a debate held on the main court of Roland-Garros in Paris, organized by employers' lobby MEDEF. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Marine Tondelier, Raphaël Glucksmann, Gabriel Attal, Edouard Philippe, Bruno Retailleau and current front-runner Marine Le Pen took part in an event that ran over an hour past its scheduled length.
Split visions for Europe
Divisions over EU policy surfaced hours after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used the same platform to defend her proposed €2 trillion EU spending plan. Philippe criticized von der Leyen's trade agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump and called for Europe to negotiate with China and the U.S. from a position of strength. Glucksmann argued France had failed to push Europe toward greater strategic autonomy. Mélenchon said France would "disobey" EU trade and economic rules if he were elected, while the long-Euroskeptic Le Pen pledged to cut France's contribution to the EU budget by €5 billion.
Le Pen's economic platform takes shape
A July court ruling unexpectedly allowed Le Pen to run despite her embezzlement conviction, reopening questions about the National Rally's economic direction. At the debate she pledged €125 billion in savings through cuts to immigration spending and state agencies, and confirmed plans to lower the minimum retirement age back to 62, reversing President Emmanuel Macron's 2023 pension reform. She also proposed a constitutional amendment capping budget deficits, modeled on Germany's debt brake.
No consensus on debt
No candidate disputed that France's more than €3.5 trillion in public debt is unsustainable, but proposed fixes varied widely — from Mélenchon's call to waive interest on debt held by the European Central Bank to broader welfare cuts. Centrists Philippe and Attal positioned themselves as fiscal hawks, drawing pushback from rivals who noted more than €1 trillion in debt accumulated since Macron took office in 2017.
The crowded, seven-way format made it difficult for any single candidate to stand out. With eight months remaining before the election, the race stays wide open.
